The pandemic has led the entire manufacturing industry into a bout of turmoil. Since its advent in late 2019, there has been a steady decline in supply and demand because of the weakened economic climate alongside local regulations to curb the spread of the virus. Now more than ever, manufacturing companies are struggling to continue production while keeping employees safe and ensuring efficiency. Also, the declining workforce availability combined with struggles to maintain off-shore supply chains has left many manufacturers looking for better options.

What companies need today is a way to localize their production while simultaneously reducing their reliance on a skilled workforce. They rquire AI-based tools to increase operational efficiency and transparency with precise and timely interventions, better monitoring, and heightened quality control. For manufacturers who require machine operators and assembly workers, it is critical to employ productivity tools to help those workers maintain physical distance, track risks, and reduce interpersonal contacts. Electronic collaboration also plays an essential role as there are skeleton crews remaining at factories, with the rest working from home or remote locations.

This is precisely where Tutelar Technologies makes a world of difference by offering next generation software products to help companies run their operations optimally in an environment of reduced worker capacity and increased need for worker safety.

Using a standards-based framework of proven hardware and software tools, Tutelar Technologies provides total plant floor integration of equipment and intelligent manufacturing systems. It offers the highest levels of production and quality control—thereby improving the competitiveness of the production floor and increasing returns. “We are on a mission to enable our customers to create new intelligent production environments by providing knowledge-based, time-critical, active management of manufacturing and warehouse processes, delivered by a creative, dedicated, cross-functional team of professionals,” says Edward Dickson, President, Tutelar Technologies. “We have installed thousands of operator and automated workstations demonstrating that our solutions are robust and dependable.” The Ujigami software solution does not require capital investment in new machines.

Tutelar Technologies’ Ujigami Product Directed Manufacturing System (PDMS) is the fastest, most flexible plant floor software that achieves the highest quality at the lowest cost. Its capable of resolving the toughest real-time manufacturing challenges. “Ujigami incorporates proven technologies, enabling quick configuration and an effortless expansion path. Our software delivers the next generation capabilities of AI, Industry 4.0, and IIoT, using advanced browser-based standards, such as XML, HTML, CSS, Javascript, and web services.” says Dickson.

We are on a mission to enable our customers to create new intelligent production environments by providing knowledge-based, time-critical, active management of manufacturing and warehouse processes

Incorporating the principles of, but extending beyond the limitations of, 6 Sigma and Lean Manufacturing, Ujigami delivers Zero Defects and ensures the manufacturer’s plant always operates at peak performance. It is a comprehensive, fully-loaded MES encompassing operator, inspection, automated, test, and repair stations with interactive graphical work instructions; operator certification; quality alerts; scheduling; labeling; inbound and outbound sequencing; etc. Ujigami is equipped with a Product and Process Mistake-Proofing technology that tracks and actively controls the quality of each serialized assembly through the entire production process. Ujigami ensures the product is properly manufactured with zero defects prior to shipping. Additionally, there is an advanced, browser-based production and quality reporting tool that provides real-time status information highlighting production and quality concerns before they affect shipping schedules. The software can easily Integrate with all plant floor hardware, supporting all types of real-time sensors and equipment, including pick-to-light, part presence, and color detection, scanners, printers, fastening controllers, PLCs, conveyors, robots, and measurement devices. This ability means the system immediately identifies errors in material/people/process and then controls the corrective actions to ensure the proper containment and repair. Ujigami also includes Scheduling and Material Control functions with advanced features to enhance the traditional MES functionality (e.g., automatic line-side material replenishment).

What makes Ujigami unique is its ability to quickly and easily make changes and enhance the system for line balancing and continuous product, process, and quality improvement. Production issues can be identified and quickly resolved anywhere a browser-enabled device is available. Ujigami operates continuously using minimal computing resources and without requiring ongoing maintenance or programming.

For example, Briggs and Stratton, an American Fortune 1000 manufacturer of gasoline engines, leveraged the Ujigami PDMS system to reshore engine manufacturing to the United States. And the results were exemplary, to say the least. They were able to quickly move their operations and seamlessly build engines of the highest quality at the lowest cost. “Our software provides manufacturers with a manufacturing environment that continuously produces parts that meet or exceed specification,” says Dickson.

For over three decades, Tutelar Technologies has been at the forefront of manufacturing innovation. Their success stems from the fact that Dickson takes pride in: “we listen to our customers for the capabilities they require and deliver a flexible solution to those needs.” Such a customer-centric approach powered by an unbridled passion for taking the industry forward is pushing Tutelar Technologies to up the ante and introduce solutions that make manufacturing in the post-pandemic area a task of ease.